Is HK Press Freedom Under Threat?

Lam gives cryptic answer to press freedom question

This morning Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor held her regular press conference and in the question and answer period, an expatriate journalist asked her about press freedom under the new national security law.

The Foreign Correspondents' Club had written to her, asking for assurances that journalists would be able to write on any topic, and will not be ordered to remove content under the new law that was enacted last week.

She replied if all reporters in Hong Kong can guarantee they will not breach the national security law, then she will guarantee they can report freely.

Yeung doesn't have answers on press boundaries

What does that mean?

The cryptic nature of her response was like a thinly veiled threat, much like the general theme of the national security law: as long as you don't cause trouble, you will be fine. But what are those boundaries?

The Hong Kong Journalists Association would also like to know. The association's chairman, Chris Yeung said that he has fielded lots of inquiries from media outlets about which stories they can run.

"I honestly do not have the answer, I think the present situation is now that you're ok until you're not ok, when they think you're not ok then you'll be in trouble," he said at a media briefing held for the timely release of the HKJA report on freedom of expression in Hong Kong.

"We want a concrete assurance, for instance, that what we have done before, what we publish, people we have talked to before, we will still be able to do so without the risk of say being prosecuted under the new law," Yeung continued.

Perhaps we should follow Deng's advice

Perhaps we should follow the advice for former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, who said the famous saying, "crossing the river by feeling the stones".

It's a new normal we're all adjusting to -- together.